Deere, UAW reach tentative contract deal

More than 10 workers and family members gathered outside the John Deere Seeding Plant in Moline, Ill., waving blue and white UAW signs at passing cars with vigor.

Picketers were reenergized Saturday morning, reminiscent of the first days of the strike, after hearing they might return to work soon.

Deere & Co. and the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America reached a tentative agreement, according to a news release from the UAW and a post on Deere's corporate page on Saturday.

Wearing lighter jackets in the midday warmth, workers said they are more confident this contract will include the demands they struck over.

"We are always hopeful," one worker said. "We are getting real tired of waiting around."

UAW workers remain on strike through the ratification process.

Workers overwhelmingly voted down the initial tentative agreement on Oct. 10, citing insufficient wage increase and declining retirement benefits.

On day 17 of the strike, Jen Hartmann, director for public relations at Deere, posted at one.deere.com that the second tentative agreement is "a new six-year labor agreement covering approximately 10,100 production and maintenance employees at 12 facilities in Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas.”

Chuck Browning, UAW vice president and director of the agricultural implement department, said in a news release that the agreement contains “economic gains” and “highest quality healthcare benefits.”

“The negotiators focused on improving the areas of concern identified by our members during our last ratification process,” Browning said.

The details of the tentative agreement will not be released until members at the covered John Deere facilities have an opportunity to review the terms, according to the UAW release. Members will be notified by their local unions for information about the time and location of meetings and ratification votes.

Deere has also reached a separate tentative agreement with Deere parts facilities in Denver and Atlanta.

The UAW will call for a vote but it is not known when that will take place.